Graham Smyth feels Georginio Rutter “holds the key” for Leeds United as they prepare to meet Southampton in the Championship play-off final.
The two clubs will face off at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, May 26, with promotion to the Premier League on the line, and Rutter might play a significant role.
The 22-year-old has been a revelation at Elland Road this season, with six goals and 15 assists in the league, however he has only one goal in his previous ten games.
On Friday (25 May), Smyth told the Inside Elland Road podcast: “I really believe Rutter holds the key to Leeds.”
“When he’s on, they’re an extremely difficult team to play against, far more dangerous in transition, and far more likely to create in the final third. If I were Leeds, I would aim to get him one-on-one with someone in the opening few minutes so he could have a shot at beating them.
“If he does, it will likely be similar to the Norwich game. All he needed was that flick for Summerville, followed by his next one-on-one bout, in which he skinned someone.
“I didn’t want to say he was back, but he was on the rise again. He got his pecker raised. He was somewhat of a nightmare for Norwich. You’d want to believe he can be that nightmare versus Southampton.
Can Georginio Rutter propel Leeds United to the Premier League?
Leeds nearly lost out on automatic promotion this season, so a loss to Southampton in the play-off final would be extremely harsh.
Of course, fans are already weary of the Wembley showdown, having experienced plenty of heartbreak in previous years, but this year feels quite different as Daniel Farke leads the way.
Rutter scored in the 4-0 win over Norwich in the semi-final second leg, his first goal since February, and the boss will be hoping that he has recovered his shooting form just in time.
This appears to be critical ahead of the final, especially as Patrick Bamford has been confirmed to miss the match on Sunday.
Crysencio Summerville, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, Illan Meslier, Wilfried Gnonto, and the rest of the squad will be expected to perform admirably, but Rutter has the potential to make a difference.
Leeds will also have to accomplish something they have yet to do this season: beat the Saints. This would be the ideal opportunity to fix that.
